A fine weekend for most

The
recent settled spell of weather will continue into the
coming weekend,but a sub-tropical low sliding by to the
northeast of the country might make it a damp weekend in a
few places.

MetService Media and Communications
Meteorologist Daniel Corbett commented "This will be a fine
summer weekend for outdoor plans except in Gisborne and
Hawkes Bay where you might have to keep the raincoat
handy".

The sub-tropical low will slide by to the
northeast coast of the North Island during Saturday and
early Sunday. The tighter pressure gradient from the nearby
low will bring the risk of southeast gales to the shores of
Gisborne. The prevailing wind flow combined with king tides
during late Friday intoSaturday could also bring higher than
normal water to eastern locations, especially around
Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.

Beachgoers and those heading out
on the water across many eastern locations will want to be
aware of the higher than normal seas and perhaps more active
currents.

Elsewhere across the country, high pressure will
dominate to bring some decent fine and sunny weather.
Temperatures will also be a bit more respectable, especially
in northern and western locations, compared to previous
weeks.

The settled spell of weather looks to continue into
the early part of next week before the next front approaches
from the south.

Key’s endorsement of English has turned this “contest” into a race for second place.

This succession was well planned. Lets not forget that English was told by Key in September of his intention to resign, and English was the only member of Cabinet entrusted with that information before it was sprung on everyone else on Monday morning. More>>

Latest: Judith Collins and Jonathan Coleman have withdrawn from the leadership race, leaving Bill English the only candidate to replace John Key as Prime Minister.

The New Zealand Dental Association is launching a new consensus statement on Sugary Drinks endorsed by key health organisations. The actions seek to reduce harm caused by sugary drinks consumption. More>>

The Government Communications Security Bureau wants to give internet service providers more information and power to block cyber threats which are increasing, its director told the intelligence and security select committee yesterday.. More>>

ALSO:

Labour: NCEA results for charter schools have been massively overstated... In one case a school reported a 93.3 per cent pass rate when the facts show only 6.7 per cent of leavers achieved NCEA level two. More>>

Following a complaint by Mr Leask, the Ombudsman found that the State Services Commission acted unreasonably in relation to Mr Leask and identified numerous deficiencies in the investigation process and in the publication of the final report and in the criticisms it contained of Mr Leask... More>>

NZEI: New Zealand had only held relatively steady in international rankings in some areas because the average achievement for several other OECD countries had lowered the OECD average -- not because our student achievement has improved. More>>

The resignation of John Key is one thing. The way that Key and his deputy Bill English have screwed the scrum on the leadership succession vote (due on December 12) is something else again. It remains to be seen whether the party caucus – ie, the ambitious likes of Steven Joyce, Judith Collins, Paula Bennett, and Amy Adams – will simply roll over... More>>